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Scottish Highlands elopement on the Isle of Skye

Seeing how it’s basically spring break ‘n all (hey, we need a vacay, too!), we thought it might be nice to end the work week with an adventurous spring elopement. Susan + Zach had been together 16 years when they decided to tie the knot, so there was no way they we’re going a traditional route. They’d seen photos of The Storr on the Isle of Skye, and were pretty much sold, so they rounded up 30 loved ones, friend and photog Jasmine of Let’s Frolic Together, and headed to the Scottish Highlands. Pretty epic, if you ask us!

Did we mention that these two pulled all of the planning off in just four months? They’d talked about eloping to Europe beforehand, but so much of it had to be spontaneous, given the location they chose.

Susan tells it, I am also in the wedding industry as a wedding photographer and have been doing it for over 10 years, so I had seen many trends and styles come and go! I wanted something unique, yet felt like *me.* It was challenging too because of our short timeline to get a dress in time. I tried on lots of dresses and in the end chose a dress that I had never tried on before but I adored online, which had a touch of grey for the skirt—the perfect little differentiation.

The food, hair, makeup, and yep, even the florals were all DIY! The bridal bouquet contained mostly foraged wildflowers (amazing!) like Scottish thistle and some branches and berries. She and Jasmine also collaborated on a DIY headpiece:

On their wedding style… I just wanted something beautiful, organic, fairly laid back and came from where we were (location-wise). So much was open ended until we got to the location—I didn’t find my wedding band until we were in Europe and we didn’t decide on an exact location of the ceremony until two days before the wedding.

Talk about an adventure…

Our vows were probably the most special part of the day, as that was the whole goal of going out there (we had legally gotten married the month before so we didn’t have to deal with the overseas logistics). However, almost nothing went as planned because of weather and timeline, which was comical in hindsight!

What an incredible moment, right here! Susan recommends scouting photo locations beforehand if there’s going to be hiking or travel involved, so you can be realistic about your timeframe and logistics. They didn’t get to shoot at *quite* as many spots as they planned, but the ones get did get to sure turned out perfectly, we think!

Lastly, Jasmine of Let’s Frolic Together‘s take on the day:What else can I say about this impossibly magical union, when the English language fails to convey my total and utter joy? My dear friends united their lives after sixteen years together. Where better than in the land of scotch and sheep and fog and lochs and thick brogues and fairytales? Susan is an incredibly talented photographer herself. She and Zach have been beacons of fun and community, and the company they keep has always been inspiring. Case in point—twenty of their nearest and dearest followed them all the way across the pond, up the hours of winding wrong-side single-lane Scottish roads, up the gorgeous magic clouds of Storr to see them share their vows. I shot this feast-for-the-eyes day on my birthday and I cannot imagine a better gift than this one. Some of our favorite carefully handcrafted elements of the day were the bride foraging for her own bouquet of thistle and wildflowers, a handmade flower crown which included brass and quartz crystal pieces, handmade flower crowns for every guest, and a romantic ballerina inspired tulle gown. Another fun but necessary surprise were Susan’s hiking boots. These guys meant business.

What a hectic, frenzied, tardy, kooky, wild, hazy, hopeful, creative, quiet, loud, silly, inspired, and loving day full of utter perfection. May every wedding have even just a sliver of the magic this day had.